This is beyond freakin terrible. And no punishment of the shooter(s) would be enough.
So sad

Tell me why only America has such an issue with gun violence?
I'm not saying straight ban guns, but automatic weapons, why does an individual need one?
There needs to be a lot stricter gun regulations, and I hate to say it but stricter things to put in Gun Free zones. I mean, are we going to need to either carry a handgun with us at all times, or have metal detectors/etc. to walk through every single place we go?

^ Gun free zones mean tougher prosecution but also means no self defense. Obviously, a shooter and suicide minded shooter looks at that and knows that no one will be defending themselves. It is a catch 22 scenario.

Without guns then it just as easliy could be a gallon of gas and match, banning guns, knives or forks will not stop someone from doing bad things..

Forking a person to death is a different mental process than polling a trigger. If you can't see the difference between killing with drones or your bare hands, you're probably also unwilling to deal with this problem from any psychological perspective.

Forking person to death is a different mental process than polling a trigger. If you can't see the difference between killing with drones or your bare hands, you're probably also unwilling to deal with this problem from any psychological perspective.

You really think someone that did this will be stopped if you made guns illegal? Killing people is illegal too.

This is horrible. I'm a high school principal and this is my biggest fear. Prayers. I would add that to say Europe is better than us and immune to this is completely false. Germany, Finland, Scotland, and Russia have all had school shootings. Many other European countries have had other types of Mass shootings, many this last decade. Research it and check your facts. This is not just an American problem. A Mass school shooting recently happened in Brazil and countries such as Canada, India, Israel, and Argentina have had them as well, and this not complete list.

You really think someone that did this will be stopped if you made guns illegal? Killing people is illegal too.

We don't know the details, but yes, I think making access more difficult to weapons that can kill with ease would curb killing. I'm not suggesting banning guns, but certainly semi-automatic, and concealable weapons shouldn't be available at your local gun show. It's a slippery slope no matter where we draw the line in legality of weaponry, but I think we can make sensible policy without giving up our second amendment rights.

We don't know how deeply the murderous desire runs in any individual, but making killing more difficult can only help that desire run out before it results in more death.

It's important to note that often the people responsible for these kinds of mass shootings were not criminals before hand. And we often find a track record of pleas for help...

Look, alternatively, I'd love to have robust, public mental health access for everyone, but that will be expensive and this a generalization, but usually those who fight for gun rights the most rabidly, also don't care for taxes or social welfare. If we want to allow easy access to dangerous weapons, let's have a more access to mental health care.

No small part of this ugly barbarization has been due to sheer physical congestion: a diagnosis now partly confirmed with scientific experiments with rats – for when they are placed in equally congested quarters, they exhibit the same symptoms of stress, alienation, hostility, sexual perversion, parental incompetence, and rabid violence that we now find in the Megalopolis. Lewis Mumford

I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around this. Having a child in high school, this type of stuff makes me worry, because I can't always be there to protect him, and he's at an age where he's able to go out on his own more often.

In this case, small children, the thought of them being helpless. As a parent you drop your kid off and you would never imagine something like this. The thought of not being their to protect your child, that's just a horrible feeling.

This is horrible. I'm a high school principal and this is my biggest fear. Prayers. I would add that to say Europe is better than us and immune to this is completely false. Germany, Finland, Scotland, and Russia have all had school shootings. Many other European countries have had other types of Mass shootings, many this last decade. Research it and check your facts. This is not just an American problem. A Mass school shooting recently happened in Brazil and countries such as Canada, India, Israel, and Argentina have had them as well, and this not complete list.

Really don't think now is an appropriate time or place to have this conversation. The issue is frequency of said attacks occurring in this country when compared to many of the countries mentioned (and the number of people compared to the population killed in this fashion). But again, a time and a place for everything.

It's almost unfair that this guy is dead, and not around to answer for this, and then get the crap beat out of him everyday in prison until he meets his end there, in a painful fashion. He got off easy.

No small part of this ugly barbarization has been due to sheer physical congestion: a diagnosis now partly confirmed with scientific experiments with rats – for when they are placed in equally congested quarters, they exhibit the same symptoms of stress, alienation, hostility, sexual perversion, parental incompetence, and rabid violence that we now find in the Megalopolis. Lewis Mumford

Actually, it was based on a study of rats in 1962. When you place a number of rats in an environment that can easily sustain them, it is a peaceable kingdom. As you add more rats, they become crazier and crazier until finally, with enough rats, the entire social fabric disintegrates and they resort to murder and cannibalism.

killed his father in NJ then drove to Conn for the rampage. what a piece of crap to take the lives of innocent children. go off yourself in your basement or somewhere else. leave innocent kids out it. hug your children! sad sad day

Two thoughts (the first being more important, IMO):
1) We really need to put a lot more emphasis (and a lot less stigma) on mental health care in this country. Seeing a therapist should be as normal as seeing your primary care physician. I have been seeing one regularly for the past year or so, and it has been very helpful, although I still feel some shame for doing so. (Even though I understand there is no reason for that) Most of these horrific incidents could have been averted had these people sought/been provided help.

2) I'm not an anti-gun crusader, but we do really have an issue with guns in this country. There are 300 million guns in private hands in the US. Far and away more per capita than any where else in the world:

Every time an incident like this come up, I see an argument that, "It could have been prevented had some one else had a gun to stop them." I'm sorry, but the answer can not be that we need _more_ guns. We need fewer guns, and fewer assault weapons out there, and stricter checks to getting them (no gun show loopholes, etc). It isn't going to stop all of these things from happening, but it is going to prevent some of them. We should be working towards creating a more responsible gun culture instead of creating a larger and more heavily armed gun culture.

My heart goes out to all the parents in Connecticut today. I don't have the words.

Actually, it was based on a study of rats in 1962. When you place a number of rats in an environment that can easily sustain them, it is a peaceable kingdom. As you add more rats, they become crazier and crazier until finally, with enough rats, the entire social fabric disintegrates and they resort to murder and cannibalism.

Oh I get the import, but it's still cynical and simplistic. Humans aren't rats, and while the economic sustainability is deplorable, I'm not sure that the close quarters of people had much to do with the shooting. Perhaps in our growing number we can neglect the margins and let crazy grow unfettered, but that's a shame not erased by the fact there are too many of us.

Man in China today stabbed 22 school children.
Children it's just sicking to think this kids had no chance

Worth noting, none of those kids in China died, only wounded. Terrible incident to be sure, proof there are sick people all over, but we also have a clear case of two men setting out to kill a bunch of kids, only one of them had access to a semi-automatic.

Guns are simply many many times more effective at killing people than knives. Ignoring this fact, even if you do ultimately come down on the side of defending current gun rights, is insane. When a sick person has an outburst and decides to attack a school in a country where it is hard to access guns vs a country that does everything it can to make that easy...the results speak for themselves.